Thread: odd tool name and use???

An adze or adz (pronounced /ædz/) is a tool used for smoothing rough-cut wood in hand woodworking.

Cheers


Steve

thats what i thought Steve also ,the business edge of this adze is sharpend wrong i thought they were like a chisel sharpen, and the hole in the blade what was its purpose ??

I reckon that particular specimen is more like general bash-around tool for breaking up stuff. It doesn't have the nice curve usually associated with adzes, to chop and carve. The hole would indicate it could be used for pulling nails or spikes maybe, or stripping wire even.
The fact that the edge has been sharpened like that gives me the impression who ever owned it wasn't interested in working timber with at all, maybe in the garden!

Cheers

A lot of adzes ended up as garden mattocks when the Hargen saw ,and then the chain saw made sleeper cutting easier.
This tool could have been some sort of adze, and the hole may be for pulling the rail spikes, but the abrupt angle would make it a brute to use.

I dont think the angle of the blade is right for an adze either. The hole is probably the give away and it looks as though it has spent some of its life chipping weeds. Some sort of breaking down tool maybe, or puller, possibly a railways tool. Is there a makers mark of any sort?

What about a variant of the ubiquitous rabbit trap setter ?

Yeah the angle is wrong for an adze, whilst the hole could be used for a sleeper dog puller but I doubt that it would have the leverage.

A shingle makers tool? general demolition?

I have to take a different tack. I think it is a roof slater's hammer.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by orraloon

I think it is a roof slater's hammer.

It would need a spike instead of a blade, to put holes in the slate for nailing.
Adze Hammer

I'm with pawnhead, it's an adze hammer.

Cheers
Michael

It could be a tool used by demo people to pull up floor boards or bridge construction people to lift planking and or decking, the hole to pull out spikes. It looks like a adaption of a spalling hammer or a hammer to drive spikes.
Mac

It looks like it is designed to get under and pry things up and the hole is shaped to pull nails. How big is it
Regards
John